"I'm still on the Derrick Williams bandwagon" thread

[theGreatRC]

I don't know how many of you want him traded and I don't know how many of you want him to stay.

I know at times he has looked bad, but he is a rookie playing behind the best PF in the game and the only way he would get consistent playing time is by being solid all the way through, but he is a rookie with no off-season practice, summer league, pre-season or guidance from the coaches.

He was basically thrown into the wolves (pun intended) and I think he handled himself well for the most part.

So this thread is to not give up on D. Will and to remember that he has shown flashes of brilliance, so post your positives and negatives about this guy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmQv7OzaqQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2I3dHR1TxA[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZWrULUNxnU[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhuEbUz8ZcQ&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW1Ysd8rTKw&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

[moss_is_1]

Still fully on the bandwagon. Remember he is just 20 years old and didn't get a consistent role at all this season either. He showed more flashes then Flynn or Wes did in their rookie seasons.

[theGreatRC]

Per 36:

15ppg / 8rpg / 1 apg / 1 bpg

Positives:
-Very strong player
-Handle was better than I had anticipated
-Can stroke the 3
-Good rebounder
-Unselfish

Negatives:
-Sometimes tries to finish like a guard rather than a big man
-Has weird balance with his shot
-plays the same position has our best player
-Not sure if he can transition to the NBA 3
-Needs to be in better shape


Edit: I changed the title of the thread, since i'm sure no one has given up on Derrick, but still want him traded.

[Klomp]

Haven't given up on him, but understand that he is one of the few players with trade value. This offseason and the potential move from PF to SF will be HUGE for him.

[Esohny]

I was never on the bandwagon. I wanted him traded on draft night or soon after, since he's a PF who won't be better than Kevin Love, so he's redundancy (at best) at a position of strength when the Wolves have giant holes at other positions.

[The J Rocka]

I'm not on it because he plays the same position as our star player and honestly didn't look that great for being a number two pick. I'd easily take Faried over Williams right now.

I'm hoping he's moved for a SG/SF/upgraded C. Too bad he wasn't moved in the draft when his value was at the very top.

[C.lupus]

I still think he can be a very good player in this league but I'm not convinced he can be a SF so he doesn't seem to have a future here. The way he quit at the end of the season left a bad taste in my mouth as well.

[lazfa199]

I'm not on it because he plays the same position as our star player and honestly didn't look that great for being a number two pick. I'd easily take Faried over Williams right now.

I'm hoping he's moved for a SG/SF/upgraded C. Too bad he wasn't moved in the draft when his value was at the very top.

[Krapinsky]

Whatever the opposite of this thread is, that's where I'm at.

[Viljanen]

I don´t like much what I´ve seen from him this year. He´s made a lot of jump shots and I don´t like that weird jump mechanic he has (it´s quite slow by the way).

I like when he dribles and goes inside. His final touch is far from good, but he´ll improve that. He´s very young... not too tall for a PF... who knows. In any case this is not the best team for him. We don´t maximize his value. He should leave the team at the right price.

Ignoring potential, I prefer Beasley to play the backup SF/PF role next season.

[PG24]

I’m still on the Derrick Williams bandwagon - the player that is. But I still have the same view on the situation as I did the moment he became the #2 pick last offseason: trade him. Get solid value in return while it’s still possible, because he doesn’t have a long-term role in Minnesota and that whole ‘#2 pick’ leverage will get less and less attractive the longer he stays.

So yes, although I’m still on the Derrick Williams bandwagon, it’s just not the one with him playing for Minnesota. He should be filling a much bigger role on his team as a #2 overall pick than he is for the Wolves. And since he isn’t being utilized to his full potential (and will continue to not under Rick), trade him now while his value is still relatively high for pieces that better fit around the core. It’s time to stop simply collecting assets and start building a team filled with players and skill sets that complement each other. Whether it’s long-term or short-term, he should be able to fetch a nice solution at SG.




Instead, take Jae Crowder – my second favorite player in the entire draft (seriously) - at 18 during June, plug him in as Williams’ replacement and watch how fast he acclimates himself to finding a viable role in the NBA. Reasoning? Defense. Crowder’s niche of being a versatile defender will allow him to come in and play solid minutes right out of the gate as a rookie, and potentially win a job in the starting rotation depending on how quickly he learns Adelman’s offensive schemes. Whatever the case, he’s the type of player that, much like Rubio last season, will figure out exactly what he needs to do in order to help his team win games.

Crowder may not have as much ‘star potential’ as Williams, but he’d instantly bring intensity and energy on the court to a team that’s loaded with players known to get complacent for far too long of stretches. He plays mean, with physicality and possesses a high basketball IQ. Not to mention his productivity. Here is a player who not only does all of the little things to help a team win, but also produces at top rate, all-around levels across the board. His only real supposed weakness (or subpar attribute) is ball handling, but so what? That’s what they said about Paul George, and he’s had no problem with becoming an important contributor for his team. Smart organizations are drooling over Crowder, and you can bet he’ll be shooting up the mocks as the draft approaches nearer.

/Jae Crowder rant. Sorry, but it had to go here. He's good.

[Krapinsky]

Since the #2 pick wasn't the answer let's pin our hopes on this years equivalent of Lazar Hayward.

Ok got it.

[GopherIt!]

so it's down to me and RC on the DWill bandwagon? the rest u all haters.

[Grits n Gravy]

ha yep i'm pretty much a hater too...i never wanted to draft him, i wanted jonas...wish we had traded it on draft night if we were always gonna take williams...his value will be way down to what it was. i still want to trade him for a sf or sg as i don't believe for one second that williams can or should be playing small forward...his greatest potential lies at pf imo.

[Foye]

I'm still on the "I wish we traded him for Evan Turner bandwagon".

[Klomp]

so it's down to me and RC on the DWill bandwagon? the rest u all haters.

I'm still on it, but with the realization that he is one of only a few valuable trading assets we have.

Instead, take Jae Crowder – my second favorite player in the entire draft (seriously) - at 18 during June, plug him in as Williams’ replacement and watch how fast he acclimates himself to finding a viable role in the NBA. Reasoning? Defense. Crowder’s niche of being a versatile defender will allow him to come in and play solid minutes right out of the gate as a rookie, and potentially win a job in the starting rotation depending on how quickly he learns Adelman’s offensive schemes. Whatever the case, he’s the type of player that, much like Rubio last season, will figure out exactly what he needs to do in order to help his team win games.

Crowder may not have as much ‘star potential’ as Williams, but he’d instantly bring intensity and energy on the court to a team that’s loaded with players known to get complacent for far too long of stretches. He plays mean, with physicality and possesses a high basketball IQ. Not to mention his productivity. Here is a player who not only does all of the little things to help a team win, but also produces at top rate, all-around levels across the board. His only real supposed weakness (or subpar attribute) is ball handling, but so what? That’s what they said about Paul George, and he’s had no problem with becoming an important contributor for his team. Smart organizations are drooling over Crowder, and you can bet he’ll be shooting up the mocks as the draft approaches nearer.

/Jae Crowder rant. Sorry, but it had to go here. He's good.

I like Crowder quite a bit, but I got a bit nervous when I heard him say this

“I want to play the ‘2,’” Crowder said. “Being 6-foot-6, being able to guard the post can be tough for you, and I don’t want it to be too tough.”

http://marquettetribune.org/2012/04/24/ ... -to-guard/

[moss_is_1]

so it's down to me and RC on the DWill bandwagon? the rest u all haters.

Hey hey hey, me 2!

I think he can transform into a small forward in time. He doesn't have to be a full time SF next season...hell we could see him splitting between sf/pf 50-50 kind of like Beasley last season.

82games shows him playing around 29% at SF but it was even less then that(they have Beasley as the PF in a lot of those lineups, of the 20 lineups they show, only 4 of them are actually him playing SF). His efficiency was supposed to be one of his strengths but he struggled a whole lot with that this season.

I think the main problem he had was that he settled for jumpers / three's too much. A lack of confidence because he was getting pulled and playing 10 minutes at times during the season could be the reason he was a disappointment. How many times did we see people on here complaining Derrick didn't play very much?

He had 7 games where he played under 10MPG and he was terrible in those(28% from the field). In games that he was actually in the rotation(around 21 minutes) he shot 43%. Which is still disappointing, but a lot better.

[Flash4thewin]

I dont think hes a bad player but i dont think his upside is that high either. Great trade bait. He has a future just not on this team. Also im not sure he can play SF full time even with a whole offseason working on becoming a SF

[eyeteeth]

I think there's a reasonable argument to be made for keeping him and seeing what he can do next year as long as we can get the players we want anyway. He has that occasional crunch time mojo that could be a great asset for us, but it's not at all assured that he will develop, and as a franchise we're simply past focusing on all that. Also: defense? Needs to improve.

[pumunga]

Haven't given up on him, but understand that he is one of the few players with trade value. This offseason and the potential move from PF to SF will be HUGE for him.

ding ding ding we have a winner. i like how he gives us depth but if we could land a name like tyreke evans or kemba walker, #offercantrefuse